St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-07-02

Cne girls WHO llHu eHiploy lhohV al o'oAoo
are, first, unwilling to be known as work
people. They sniff at the term wages,
and refuse to be recognized as sales
women, preferring the idiotic expression
"saleslady."
They are not women" they are ola
dies" and with them this difference
means great deal.
In the next place, they rarely enter an
occupation of any sort with the inten-
ton of remaining in it. To them it is a
temporary expedient for paying their
board and for clothing themselves. A
beau is natural consequence, and it
needs no great knowledge of human ma
ture to understand that girl who has a
beau hopes and expects in time to have
a husband.
AS rule, "salesladies" are careless,
impertinent, inattentive.
Customers soon find that out, but en-
ployers know it long before customers
complain of it, and an adviser to whom
the best interests of the people are a
matter of thought would say to them
IF you care to be regarded as useful
employee, you must make yourself use
full, and, in order to do so, you must be
agreeable and attentive to our custom
ers." In any other line of life an en-
ployee, hoping for advancement in posi-
tion or salary, seeks to gain the favor
of his employer by diligence, by in
dustry, by loyal service, and no other
way is this so we'll exhibited as in civil
and courteous treatment of the patrons
of the establishment in which the person
is employed.
Now do not intend to have anybody
say that l am ungallant or rude or merci-
less or siding with employers against
women.
Like every other American born, have
reason to love, respect and admire women.
Therefore, speak of things precisely
as find them, and, if in any way vary
from the exact measure of truth, it will
be found upon examination that it is an
extenuation rather than an exaggeration
Of the manifold faults of salesladies and
the younger children, girls, employed in
our large dry goods establishments. The
points made in this are, first, that women
employed in these stores do not regard
their service as permanent; and second,
this being the case, they become so mat
tentive and careless that their services
are of but little value.
A.grade above this class are those who
are employed in telegraphy, stenog-
raphy, typewriting and as correspond
ents in mercantile houses. Years of ex-
perience and observation convince me
that women are of no use in telegraphy
except in the purely literary and COM
mercial branches of telegraph compa-
MES; by which mean that they are COM
petent to file old dispatches, to answer
communications, to keep accounts and to
do what is technically known in that and
all other occupations as office work But
you reply, "Do we not find in every town,
in every village, and in many cities, tele-
graph offices that are entirely run by
Unfortunately yes, and it
S precisely with that branch Of
he service that I deal | say
t is not at all to thediscredit of young
ady who, being employed in telegraph
'ffice where there is not much business,
ltilizes her spare time by sewing, read
ng, knitting, crocheting or talking with
Ter occasional visitor. From her point
# view that is all right, but from the
tandpoint of customer who uses the
wire because his business is urgent, and
ispatch is absolutely necessary, the fact
hat this young lady must be called from
er friend, her work of whatever kind,
leans great deal
is it not SO?
There are many hotels in New York
hose telegraph offices are in charge of
Dung women. In eight of every ten
ftices you can find, instead of one woman,
the operator and the other a
isitor. Did you ever in your life see a
ian in telegraph office read a dispatch
| the hands of the operator? | never
id; and l have sent scores of thousands
them, ranging from 100, 200 words at ,,
me down to three. have yet to find
%h IL 0OACSA dpH OuiCc WuO was not |
nenable to discipline If he is i'm !
ertinent, if he is rude or uncivil or in
tentlve, how easy to bring him to book
1nety-nine times in hundred YOU can /
} it yourself. The one-hundredth time ,
appeal to the superintendent brings t
m to his senses.
had a brief experience in an office not
block from my desk, within month. !
here are two receiving desks and two I
struments in that office. I had occa- :
IN to send dispatch uptown. took :
to the first. The lady was sewing q l
tton on her boot. 1t struck me as .
mical, but waited. .
After awhile she sauntered toward '
'Will you have the kindness to hurry
and take this message?" said [. O
Looking at me first with ineffable v
,rn she next looked at my message, S
d, after youchsafing me another look, U
d, 1.-THE other desk" l did not know $
IN, and / don't know now, why she Ii
1t me to the other desk, but she was
man, and | went across the hall to .
lat is virtually another Office. Two a
ung ladies were sitting there busily e
gagged, one reading a letter, the other a
ening. The reading must have peen s.
remedy entertaining, for, during the Ii
suing two or three minutes while I
tied, they roared with laughter. Said
Will you kindly take this message?' Il
Both girls looked at me. y